Pre-E3 2008: Mega Man 9 Trailer and Details

Is it? Isn't it? Back and forth. One week Mega Man 9 was confirmed for Xbox Live Arcade. The next, it wasn't. Well, all of the waffling has come to an end today and we can finally confirm once and for all that the Blue Bomber will indeed be making his way to Microsoft's console. And we've got the official official footage to prove it.

Mega Man 9 is a title that mixes old and new -- namely, a classic 8-bit graphical presentation with ground-up levels and play mechanics. Ever since he heard about the project, IGN's resident Mega Man fanatic Mark Bozon has been drowning in his own tears of nostalgia-bred happiness.

Today, we've got the exclusive world debut trailer for Mega Man 9, and we think anybody who loves the Blue Bomber as much as Bozon will fall onto the floor and convulse in uncontrollable orgasmic fits after watching it.

In case you're new to the series, the story of Mega Man begins in the year 200X, as the advanced science of the era has created industrial robots that co-exist with humans. The evil Dr. Wily, however, plots for world domination and creates his own robot army to take over mankind. But Dr. Light outfits one of his domestic robots "Rock" to fight Dr. Wily's creations. This is how Mega Man is born.

Mega Man 9 is set after the events of Mega Man 8. Multiple riots have sprung up all over the world. Whilst many people suspect that this is another plot from Dr. Wily, Dr. Light is stunned to recognize that some of the robots rioting on the TV screen are his own creations. Even more stunning, Dr. Wily appears on television to proclaim that Dr. Light is the evil mastermind behind these latest catastrophic incidents and it's up to Mega Man to clear his creator's name.

The title plays like a classic Mega Man effort with some notable additions. Of course, the character designs are again created by Keiji Inafune, who concocted the look of the franchise. Mega Man 9 features 50 new enemy and bosses to battle, according to Capcom. And it will also sport an online leaderboard ranking system where you'll be able to track your score and time against other gamers.

We'll have more on the title in the near future, but feel free to marvel at the new trailer while you wait.